If you’re looking for a sleek, all black racing watch, Tudor’s Fastrider Black Shield is worth taking a look at. This watch isn’t only easy on the eyes, but it’s packing some impressive specs as well.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s sporting the prestigious Tudor emblem either.
Features of the Fastrider include a 42 mm black ceramic case, sapphire crystal, automatic movement with 46 hour power reserve, and a chronograph function.
And with 3 color combinations and 4 bands to choose from, Tudor’s Fastrider Black Shield allows for a fair amount of customization as well.
If you’re thinking about investing in one of these wonderful timepieces, you’ve come to the right place.
In this review, I’ll go over everything the Fastrider has to offer- and from personal experience.
The Tudor Fastrider Black Shield
I’m (very) happy to say that I recently got one of these watches as a gift. It was an early Christmas gift and even though I had dropped plenty of hints, I was still quite surprised when my wife actually got me one.
I had been eyeing Tudor watches in general for some time. I like Tudor as a brand because they offer some very classic looking watches, minus the extravagant price tag that often comes with a Swiss timepiece.
And I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they so closely resemble many of the classic Rolex looks either.
After all, Tudor started out as a sub-brand of Rolex, with their goal being to provide people with a more affordable version of the prestigious timepieces.
Tudor watches originally came with Rolex cases and bracelets, but with mass produced movements (which allowed them to be sold for a significantly smaller price).
Over the decades, Tudor gradually started integrating more and more of Rolex’s esteemed components, like their waterproof Oyster cases and some of their automatic movements.
These days, Tudor is still owned by the same company that owns Rolex, but they’ve tried to break off to become more of their own brand.
The fact that Tudor has even started producing some of their own in-house movements indicates the brand’s efforts to be noticed for more than just a “more affordable Rolex”.
That said, I can think of worse things to be called.
But back to the watch we’re here to discuss.
Tudor’s Fastrider’s first came out about a decade ago when they decided to partner up with the famous motorcycle brand, Ducati.
This is pretty easy to imagine when you look at the Black Shield (especially when paired with the black rubber strap)- this thing just looks like it was designed to be worn while riding a motorcycle.
And if you look closely enough, you might notice that the little button on the left side of the case (which is used to quickly progress the date) is in the shape of a rounded triangle- which just happens to be the same shape as Ducati’s shield logo.
The Ducati association adds another layer of coolness to this watch, of which it is already filled to the brim with.
Quick Specs
- Automatic movement with 46 hr power reserve
- Ceramic, matte black case
- Black dial
- Sapphire crystal
- Tachymeter bezel
- Chronograph
- Water resistant to 150 m
- Screw down, steel crown
- 5 year warranty
Movement
We might as well start this review off with some technical data. Well, not too technical, but just technical enough.
Just as a reminder, a watch’s movement refers to how it’s powered. Watches can come with mechanical movements, meaning they don’t rely on batteries, or with quartz movements, meaning they do use a battery.
Mechanical movements can be classified further into manual (have to be wound) or automatic (self-winding) movements.
The Black Shield comes with an automatic movement (calibre T901), meaning it winds itself as you move around wearing it. This is awesome because you’ll never have to worry about replacing batteries.
The kicker is, that you have to wear your watch regularly to keep it wound.
The Black Shield has a power reserve of approximately 46 hours- meaning that fully wound, it can go 46 hours without being wound (or worn) again.
I haven’t been wearing my Black Shield daily, so at times I pull it out of my dresser and find that it’s depleted all of its power reserve.
Luckily, you can easily wind it manually to get it back on track.
Simply unscrew the crown to the first position, and wind clockwise (pulling the crown out to the second position allows you to set the time).
Overall, I like the self-winding movement and not having to deal with batteries. The 46 hr power reserve is pretty standard for an automatic watch.
Case
The case is where we see some of the most interesting details about the Black Shield. Most notably, the fact that this watch comes with an all ceramic case.
Ceramic cases are becoming more and more popular these days and for good reason.
For one, ceramic is very scratch-proof. It’s also basically dent-proof. That said, ceramic can fracture and break if hit hard enough or dropped from a high-enough height.
But with ceramic watches, dings and scratches won’t be an issue.
Ceramic watches like the Black Shield are also surprisingly light weight because ceramic is lighter than the steel most watch cases are made of.
Another great quality of ceramic is that it doesn’t fade with time. This is probably the primary reason so many “blacked out” watches are going with ceramic cases.
And in the case of the Black Shield, I think their matte black ceramic case looks fantastic (and knowing that it’ll never fade makes me happy).
But besides the fact that the case is made out of ceramic, there are a few other details I’d like to point out.
Like the tachymeter bezel surrounding the crystal- this is a proper racing watch after all.
I already mentioned the quick-adjust date button on the left side (in the shape of the Ducati emblem), but there are 2 more push buttons on the right- one for starting and stopping the chronometer and one to reset.
The crown between the 2 buttons is textured and has the Tudor emblem right in the middle- a nice touch if you ask me.
In terms of size, the crown on this watch measures 42 mm in diameter, making it very comfortable to wear. This is fairly average for a men’s watch, so most guys will likely find the Black Shield to fit just right.
Overall, I love the lightweight yet durable ceramic case on the Black Shield.
Dial
The dial on this watch is also black, giving the Black Shield it’s bada** blacked out look. I have the version that comes with rose gold hour indicators, but you can also choose between white or red.
The hour indicators themselves are 3-dimensional for added texture.
The red second hand that functions with the chronograph provides a bright contrast of color against the all black dial and case.
The skeleton hour and minute hands match the color of the hour markers and come with a bit of luminosity so you can tell time in the dark.
As a proper chronograph watch, there are 3 sub-dials on the Black Shield. The one at 9 o’clock is your second hand, the one at 3 o’clock is a 30 minute totalizer, and the one at 6 o’clock is a 12-hr totalizer.
Having the dial blacked out makes it a little hard to read the sub-dials, but I doubt many of us actually use the chronograph function anyway (I know I don’t).
There’s also a small round date window between 4 and 5 o’clock and you’ll notice that the hour indicator for 12 o’clock has been replaced with the Tudor emblem.
The black dial is well protected under the sapphire crystal, which when paired with the ceramic case makes for a very tough watch.
Overall, I love the blacked out dial and I especially like how the rose gold plays against it. The sub-dials can be difficult to read, but I see this as a minor offense at best.
Band
There are several options available when it comes to the band. These include black leather with white stitching, black leather with white stitching, brown leather with black stitching, or rubber.
The one I have is paired with the black rubber strap and I think it’s the sharpest looking option of the bunch.
Not only does it maintain the blacked out look, but it’s very comfortable to wear.
It’s a thick, durable rubber, a little heavier-duty than the type of rubber straps you’d see on Timex’s and other affordable sports watches.
And it’s textured on the inside (on one side anyway), to give the appearance of a tire- another shoutout to Ducati I imagine.
The black rubber strap utilizes a black PVD-treated steel folding clasp and safety catch that’s easy to use and adjust for size.
When I was window shopping online for these Black Shield’s, I was stuck between the black rubber strap and the black leather strap with white stitching.
I thought both looked great, but ultimately I’m glad I got the rubber strap.
Final Thoughts
Tudor is a well-respected Swiss brand and even though they share a strong connection with Rolex, they continue to make a name for themselves with their style and quality craftsmanship.
And when it comes to their Fastrider Black Shield, it’s gonna be hard to find a cooler timepiece.
I mean this watch just exudes coolness from top to bottom.
I love the look of a quality blacked out watch, but the fact that this one comes with the association to Ducati definitely puts it on a whole new level.
And then there’s the fact that it comes with a ceramic case.
Looks aside, I find this automatic watch very comfortable to wear and easy to use. I really like the quick adjust date button, which comes in very handy when I go several days without wearing it.
I also like all of the steel used on the buttons and crown, which adds to the overall masculinity of the Black Shield.
I recommend going with the rubber strap if you’re going all in with the blacked out look, but in case you want a little touch of color you’ve got some options with the band.
Overall, I love this watch and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to get my hands on one.
I would even go as far to say that I think this is one of the best all black watches around.
Speaking of which, if you’re interested in purchasing one for yourself, buying one is a little easier said than done.
I know my wife had to special order mine through a local jewelry store and even that took a little bit of doing.
I’ve heard that Tudor is making these watches a little harder to get on purpose, which of course also adds to the overall coolness factor.
